Circuit connecter for compartmental lamps



Jan. 18,1927. 1.614.130

C. E. GODLEY CIRCUIT CONNECTER FOR COIPARTIENTAL LAIPS Filed Feb. 24,1926 I Invent-0k. i

Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,614,730 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO C. M. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

CIRCUIT CONNECTER FOR COMPARTMENTAL LAMPS.

Application filed February 24, 1926. Serial No. 90,318.

My invention relates to means for affording circuit connections fromdetachable wire terminals to lamp bulbs in compartmental lamps.

In automobile practice, it is now customary to employ compartmental taillamps in which separately controlled lamp bulbs are lighted forrespectively affording the tail light indication and a stop indication,

the two lamp bulbs having their filaments disposed at opposite sides ofa partition in the lamp casing. For such lamps, both compactness and lowcost demand the use of a two-wire terminal plug for carrying the currentto the lamp and hence make itnecessary to afford circuit connectionsfrom the two closely spaced terminals of such a lug to the more widelyspaced base termina s of the lamp bulbs.

My present invention aims to accomplish this by means of a simple,inexpensive and easily manufactured circuit-connecting device which canreadily be built as a unit and fastened assuch to the lamp casing,thereby requiring only simple holders with looking formations forsupporting the lamp bulbs and the wire-terminal plug in positions inwhich the terminals of the lamp bulbs will be electrically connected tothose of the plug.

Furthermore, my invention provides a circuit-connecter for this purposewhich will have each of its contacting parts disposed for yielding in aneliective direction, and which will compensate for variations in thesizes or shapes of the lamp terminals and plug terminals engaged bythese parts. It also provides an arrangement for this purposeconstructed of very few parts and substantially sealing the connectionof the plug holder to the casing when the wire-terminal plug isdetached, so as to prevent the en'- tra-nce of dust into the casingthrough this connection.

Still further and also more detailedobjects will appear from thefollowing specification and from the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a central, vertical and longitudinal section through anautomobile tail lamp equip ed with a circuit-connecting device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary rear elevation of the same lamp,showing the tubular lug holder, the closing of the inner end 0 thisholderby the insulator of the circuit-connecting device, and theplug-terminal-engag'ing contact arm tips of this device. 1

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section through the samecircuit-connectingdevice and the plug holder, also showing a portion ofthe wire-terminal plu supported by the holder.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are similarly enlarged front, side and plan viewsrespectively of the same circuit-closing device detached from the lampcasing.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the conducting members, takenfrom the lefthand side of Fig. 4.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a compartmentalautomobile tail lamp in which the casing 1 is divided into upper andlower compartments by a Y- sectioned partitioning member-includ1ng aforwardly extending shank-2 and a pair of rearwardly diverging arms 3and 4. Each of these arms has a holder formation for interlocking witha'lamp bulb, so as to support .two ordinary lamp bulbs with theirfilaments 5 and 6 respectively above and below the partition shank 2 andwith their axial base terminals 7 and 8 both disposed in the spacebetween the arms 3 and 4 and the back 9 of the lamp casing.

The casing back 9 has a perforationopening into the said space and atubular holder 10 is clinched at its forward end to the bore of thisperforation. This holder has rearwardly opening bayonet slots 11 forinterlocking with the usual laterally projecting pins 12 on a wireterminal plug 13 which has the contact ends of its wire terminals 14 and15 exposed on the forward end of the plug.

To connect these wire terminals electrically to the respective baseterminals of the two lamp bulbs, I provide a circuit-connecter includingas its base a substantially flat insulator 16 which extends across theinner end of the tubular holder 10 and which is secured to the back 9 ofthe casing by. rivets or screws extending through perforations 17 in thesaid insulator. Mounted on this insulator and each secured to the latterby a sin le screw 18 are two conducting members, each desirably formedfrom flat bronze or other resilient metal. Each of these conductingmembers has an end portion 19 secured to the insulator by one of thescrews 18 and also has two arms. One of the arms of each conductingmember has its initial portion 20 normally extending substantiallyflatwise along the front of the insulator and continued by an extensionportion 21 which extends rearwardly through a perforation 22 in theinsulator into the tubular holder 10, and the free contact end 23 ofthis exten-- sion portion is bent to extend transversely of the holder.

The other two arms'24 and 25 of the two conducting member's extendtoward each other and each has an extension clearing the other and bentto dispose it for engaging one of the lamp base terminals. Thus, theupper arm 24; has its extension 26 bent forwardly to adapt. it forengaging the lamp base terminal 7, while the lower arm 25 is recurved toprovide an extension 27 disposed for engaging the lamp base terminal 8.Both of these extensions 26 and 27 are formed so that each will bepressed toward the insulator by the lamp base when thecorresponding lampbulb is inserted in its holder formation, thereby utilizing theresiliency of the conducting members for insuring good contacts with thelamp base terminals and forlatching the lamp bulbs in their respectiveholders.

The rearwardly' directed arm portions 21 preferably extend parallel tothe axis of the plug holder 10, so that they will not be flexed whenthe'contact ends 23 are moved forwardly by the plug terminals 14 and 15during th attaching of the plug, but will cause the two arms 20 to beflexed forwardly, after which the resiliency of the arms 20 insures goodelectrical connections to the plug terminals and also latches the plugin the holder 10.

In employing an automobile tail lam arrangedas in Fig. 1, the commoncircuit wire of the two lamp circuits is grounded to the metal casing ofthe lamp and hence is connected through the partition wings 3 and 4 tothe metal shells on both lamp bulbs. Each of these shells is connectedto one end of the lamp filament in the usual lamp-bulb construction,while the other end of the filament is connected to the axial bulbterminal. The two separately controlled circuit wires are connected inthe usual manner to the two terminals 14 and 15 of an attached plug.When this plug is inter locked with the tubular holder 10 at the rear ofthe casing, after the manner shown in Fig. 3, the plug terminal 14engages the contact end 23 of the rearwardly directed arm on the upperconductin member, so that current is carried throug the, arm 26 of thatmember to the axial terminal 7 of the upper lamp bulb. Likewise, thelower plug terminal 15 en ges the contact end 23 of the rearwardldlrected arm on the lower conducting mem r, and the arm 27 of the memberengages the axial terminal 8 of the lower lamp bulb.

With the above recited construction, the circuit connecting device canreadily be built as a unit and secured to the lamp casin before thepartitioning member is insert in the latter, thus expediting themanufacture of the lamp. And, since each bulb base terminal is engagedby a contact arm integral with an arm which engages one lug terminal, Iavoid joints and possible oose connections.

However, While I have illustrated and described my invention as employedin a certain type of lamp, I do not wish-to be limited to its use inconnection with any pIarticular casing or partition arrangement.

either do I wish to be limited to the above recited details of theconstruction and arrangement, as many changes might obviously be madewithout departing either from the spirit of my invention or from theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Means for electrically connecting two pairs ofterminals, comprisingaflat and perforate insulator and two contact members formed of flatmetal and mounted on the insulator; each contact member having aresilient arm secured at one end to the insulator and extending towardthe corresponding resilient arm of the other contact member, the saidarm havin a continnation portion extending throug the insulator and afree end part bent at an angle to the continuation portion andpresenting a flat face; each contact member also having a secondresilient arm bent away from the insulator.

2. A connecter member for int'erposition between a pair oflaterally-ad'acent wire terminals and a pair of lamp bul terminals,

comprising a air of contact members and a flat insulator ispose'dtransverse of the wire terminals and having a pair of perforationssubstantially in alinement respectively with the wire terminals; eachcontact member being formed of resilient metal and secured ill) at oneend to one face of the insulator and comprising two arms initiallyextendin adjacent to each other from the secured en of the contactmember toward the other contact member; one arm of? each contact memberbeing bent away from the said face of the insulator and engaging one ofthe lamp base terminals; the other arm of each contact member comprisina resilient portion extending along the sai face, a continuation portionextending through one of the perforations beyond the other face of thein sulator, and an end portion bent at an angle to the continuationportion and engaging one of the wire terminals.

3. A circuit connecter for interposition between two pairs of terminals,comprising an insulator and two conducting members mounted on theinsulator, each conducting member comprising an initially flat piece ofresilient metal secured at one end to the insulator and slit to affordtwo laterally adjacent arms initially extending toward the secured endof the other conducting member, and each arm havin an extension benttherefrom; the extensions on one arm of each member being bent so thattheir main portions are at right angles to the secured ends of thecontact members and these extensions having their free ends bent atanangle to their said main portions to dispoa these free endsnormall ina common lane; the extension on the ot er arm of eac conducting memberbeing bent away from that arm in the opposite direction from that inwhich the said extensions extend.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, February

